Hainan holds a forum on China-Africa intergovernmental cooperation

HAIKOU, September 11. The administrative center of Hainan, Haikou, hosted an event this week organized by the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation, reported the portal "Zhongguo Xinwenwang".

According to news outlet, the forum held on the island was devoted to strengthening cooperation on agriculture and issues related to the elimination of poverty. The participants discussed the advantages of Hainan's Free Trade Port, its potential in promoting trade and economic cooperation between ChinaC and Africa. 

"China is constantly in contact with African countries at the expert level, promoting joint research projects, and supporting them through technology transfer and investment in agriculture," said Chargé d'Affaires of China to the African Union, Chen Xufeng, while giving an online address. He noted that Beijing is constantly deepening cooperation with the states of this region to improve the well-being of the African population.

As the Chinese diplomat specified, agricultural cooperation is only one of the areas of China-Africa comprehensive cooperation.

During the forum, projects were discussed with the participation of the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences. According to the official plan, the provincial department of international relations, together with this organization, will conduct trainings this year on issues related to Hainan-Africa cooperation on green agricultural development and their joint efforts to combat poverty.

Trade and economic contacts between China and Africa

According to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, the volume of China's trade with African countries in January-July exceeded $ 139 billion, showing an annualized growth of more than 40%. For seven months, the states of this region increased the supply of goods and services to the Chinese market by about 46%, to $ 59 billion. During the same period, Beijing almost doubled its imports of African rubber, cotton and coffee.

Hainan actively cooperates with African countries on agriculture: in January-July, trade between the province and African countries exceeded 2.52 billion yuan (about $ 390 million). The indicator turned out to be twice as much compared to the same period in 2020.